The original Pininfarina/Cadillac exercise was the '59 and '60 Cadillac Edorado Brougham (not to be confused with the Eldorado Seville and Eldorado Biarritz of the same era, '57 and '58 Broughams were made in the U.S. by Cadillac)

Very expensive four-door hardtop. Didn't sell all that well either.

Never seen one? Here are some pics http://eldobrghm.com/EB/brougham_pics.htm

As an owner of an '88 Allante, I would be the first to tell you that the car is not perfect. But as Chris points out, many Allantes were just bought and thrashed hard without much attention to maintenance and several of the systems were sophisticated enough to require "religious" maintenance. Unfortunately, those sophisticated systems are the brake system and the cooling system, so when they fail, that's it; your car is out of business until your checkbook has some outflow.

Consequently, owners get discouraged and sell the cars resulting in many being available for sale and prices being low. For a real "car person" who is willing to learn and understand the car, there isn't a bigger bargain available. You don't have to turn the wrenches to be a "car person" and own and appreciate an Allante; but you do have to be willing to learn and read. The people who are willing to turn a wrench or two really appreciate an Allante and get a lot of satisfaction out of the repairs and/ or modifications and find that the car really gives them back something.

Unfortunately, many on this board are real "car persons"; but they can be unduly influenced by "I heard" mentality. If they would venture just slightly beyond the normal, safe "box" in autos, they'd really enjoy owning an Allante.

If you have a chance, look at some of the Allante sites; what you'll see is people who are really enjoying owning this particular automobile; you can even see that by the responses above. Doesn't that tell you something?

Not to be snotty, but on the other hand, if the demand stays low, the prices will remain cheap and these cars will remain affordable for those who appreciate. So, anyone not familiar with an Allante, perhaps shouldn't get involved; just keep on paying a lot more for a lot less.

The next time you see an Allante go by with the top down and you admire that car, keep in mind that owner probably has less than 1/2 the investment in his ride than you do in yours (no matter what you are driving!) and he's getting a lot more admiring looks than you are and enjoying his ride a lot more than you are.

Originally posted by Allante North * Sergio Pinafarina was the designer of the bodies of the Allante as well as Ferrari's and the Fiat Spyder among others.

While the Allante isn't appalling to look at, it also isn't the most beautiful Italian design produced in the late '80's or early '90's.

I would stop mentioning Ferrari and Cadillac in the same sentence. The squared off styling makes it closer to Fiat in design than Ferrari. But this no where near the ugliest Pinafarina design, of which there are a few.

Other than that, I would agree that a well maintained Allante would be a good value. The design has aged well, not offensive to look at and not to much '90's style.

Re: Consumer Report: What's YOUR opinion? We'd like to know...

I just found this forum and am thrilled that it exists. I have owned three allantes. A new 93 in 94, a 91 in 95 and my current one acquired a year ago, another 93. They all were amazing cars, not just for their time, but even today. My favorite one is the 93, because of the power and the other traction devices that keep you going in all sorts of road conditions. But, if my driving was confined to in-town mostly, I would prefer to be in the 91 I owned. It handled the bumps better and made bad city streets feel less jarring. However, the thin walled tires of those earlier models put the rims at risk in a pot hole. The 93 handles that better.

On seats, my 91 Ricarro seats were not as comfortable for me as the 93. But that may just be me!

On ride and control I much prefer the 93 provided everything is working well in the suspension. The first one I had back in 94 had a bounce steer issue that the Caddy dealer could not identify or resolve. That was just plain wrong. Bounce steer, for you younger pups, is when after hitting a deep dip with the car, you find yourself six inches to the left or right of your travel line. That can really drive you crazy if, like me, you get really tuned into your vehicles. I'm an old Car Crazy guy. I've owned all sorts of sports cars starting back in 61 from English primitives back then to late 60's Vettes with more power than handling and my very favorite vehicle has got to be the 93 Allante. And, at these prices nowadays, I don't know how you can beat it.

But, if you think that buying any car that's 15 or more years old is going to be a dream for you, you better think again. If you aren't prepared to keep a maintenance program going all the time, you will be sadly disappointed with any old car. When they get to be this age, you need to stay on top of all sorts of things. This sort of car has to be a love, not a daily driver vehicle you can ignore. Anytime you take this out for a drive, a number of people are going to be looking at you and wondering what it is. The last thing you want to have happen is that they're looking at you parked on the side of the road with the hood up and the emergency flashers going.

Re: Consumer Report: What's YOUR opinion? We'd like to know...

VERY well expressed post, kcucia, and all the others. I've owned my '92 Allanté since 1994; currently have 98,500 miles on it.

Yes, I've spent a lot of money on the car in 14 years, as I've maintained it mechanically and cosmetically. It has been worth every penny to me for the enjoyment it has given me. I recently replaced all brake lines, calipers, pads, struts, plus routine things such as oil change, brake fluid flush, etc. If you spread the costs over the 14 years span, is is not bad, at all.

I have always said the Allanté has the "turn-around' effect; as you walk away from it, you always turn around once to look at how beautiful the car's design is still today.

Re: Consumer Report: What's YOUR opinion? We'd like to know...

I've had 2 Allante's 88 & 90. If you are buying one go for a Phase II model. A little better on some details including the the roof. These cars are getting old and they do require maintainence, so be prepared for some down time and cash layout. They can be frustrating, as most old cars are so keep that in mind.

Re: Consumer Report: What's YOUR opinion? We'd like to know...

I truly love my 1993 Northstar Allante, it only has 29K original miles and it's basically a 'weekend driver.' But the beauty of these cars is timeless, and they never fail to turn heads.

I am also the Orange County Chapter Leader of the Allante Club of America. We have a Spring Meet coming up in May in Los Angeles County, so if anyone wants to join us, please feel free to send me a PM and I'll gladly get that information to you.